Community Forums

Langord · 10-26-2010, 12:57 PM

Are there any suggestions for repair services in Sou Ca for a very bad leak.? Slide-out topper appears to be in decent shape, but leak is warping wood trim over couch.

jerry davis · 10-26-2010, 04:04 PM

This won't help you on the repair but may help with future problems. Our slide has always leaked no matter how many times we had it looked at/repaired by WRV and repair shops.

Whenever we are in a rain storm we simply tip the coach to insure that any water that gets under the topper runs away from the coach. Have not had water in the coach for 3 years now since performing this procedure.

Wayne R · 10-26-2010, 05:03 PM

These slides can be made not to leak. Mine has not leaked a drop since August of 2006. I finally convinced the factory techs what was wrong. The biggest issue I have seen is that the slide is not square to the cut out. This cause 2 problems. The primary seal which is a rubber seal on the extrusion of the sidewall and an aluminum seal depressor. The seal depressor on mine would not contact the rubber seal for about 5 feet. The Secondary seal the ‘wiper Seal” did not touch the slide top in several places common to the same 5 foot area. Visual inspection indicated the wiper seal was in contact with the slide. Closer inspection revealed it wasn’t. l could easily insert and slide a piece of paper along the 5 foot area. Anytime it rained with a wind from the back of the coach the slide would leak in that 5 foot area. Rain was blowing under the slide topper and past the wiper seal.

The fix the factory did on mine was to add a wider section of wiper seal for the last 6 feet. This has fixed the leak completely. We full time and have been through some hellacious rain storms and no leaks. Prior to August 2006 I had the upper kitchen cabinets replaced twice due to water damage. I had always planned on fixing the primary seal by adding a wider seal and extending the seal depressor. It has proven to not be necessary. We no longer have to pull our slides in or tilt the coach in a rain storm.

The best way to analyze your problem is to remove the crown molding around the slide so you can assess the effectiveness of the primary seal. To add wiper seal the slide topper would need to be removed and laid on the roof.

Kent and Sharon · 10-27-2010, 09:07 PM

I don't think it has anything to do with the seals. The top of the drivers side front slide was never sealed where it's joined together on the top. You can get to the edges by reaching under the topper as far as you can, but to do it right the topper has to be off and then seal the top of the slide all the way along. If you do that, no more leak.

Kent

Wayne R · 10-28-2010, 07:03 AM

I am sure it varies from coach to coach. My slide top had 4 inch Eternabond applied to the seams in the 1st month I owned it. It continued to leak until the additional wiper seal was added.

The lack of seal was the issue on my bedroom slide and Eeternabond fixed that one.

Jttundra2007 · 10-28-2010, 09:00 AM

Sorry to see your leaking issue. It seems the Mfg's. are not interested in quality or durability! I had major structural failure to my dinette slids floor. I just got it back in with a new floor. Mine was a poor seal design along the top edge of the exterior trim. Mgf says no, my fault for not maintaining this small edge bead of sealant. When I took off the exterior trim there was no sealant on the verticle edge, only along the horizontal edge that was screwed to the floor bottom. No where for the water to go but into the wood floor. This much damage in 1-1/2 years of ownership.